Monthly Archives: November 2017

I was browsing through Amazon.in when this book caught my eye. We are imperfectly perfect by Nikita Gupta, a fifteen year old girl.

The blurb:

“Everything is perfect.” I said out loud to myself.

No! It isn’t. My inner voice said.

“No! Everything is perfect.” I said out loud again.

No. It isn’t. It never was. My inner voice said again.

Samaira Oberoi, a simple, beautiful girl who means the world to her daddy, falls in love with her childhood crush. Her father, Viren, being completely against love marriages can’t believe his little girl would take such a step for a person she has known only for a few days.

Sidhant Singhania, on the other hand, is a rich and handsome man who never thought he would fall in love. When he does, his fate makes him hate his love, leaving both the hearts broken.

Will Samaira and Sidhant be together? Will her father accept her love after knowing the truth? Will this imperfect love find its way to perfection?

My take:

This is a simple story of childhood classmates meeting after six years and realizing that they love each other. Then the daughter wins over the girlfriend and so on.

The author has created the characters in such a way that I felt that I had met a Samaira or a Sidhant in my life. The language is simple and the feelings of the characters have been portrayed well.

She has also portrayed relationships well, be it the friendship between Samaira and her friends or Samaira and her brother. The father daughter relationship was the highpoint of the book.

I felt a little better editing could have made the book crisper, shorter and more enjoyable.

No one is untouched by love, not even devas and asuras, kings and nymphs. And when they face life’s unexpected tribulations, their love also undergoes trials. Read how Ganesha took myriad forms to please Riddhi, Siddhi and Buddhi, how Ravana shared an unbreakable bond with his true love, Mandodari and how Nala and Damayanti’s relationship was tested till almost nothing remained.Tormented by passion, wracked by betrayal, torn by the agony of separation, love in its many splendored forms is the origin of these incredibly endearing stories of Prem Purana.

It would be great if you can add this book to your TBR

Usha Narayanan had a successful career in advertising, media and corporate communications before becoming a full-time author. She has written several books, including ‘The Madras Mangler’, a suspense thriller, and ‘Love,Lies and Layoffs’, a Harlequin romcom. Her latest is ‘The Secret of God’s Son’, the sequel to her bestselling book,’Pradyumna: Son of Krishna’, both published by Penguin.

When she’s not juggling travelling, writing and interviews, Usha reads everything from thrillers to romances, provided her cat isn’t fast asleep on her Kindle.

Simha International by Sundari Venkatraman is the first book in the trilogy called The Bansal Legacy. Menaka and Alok Bansal live in Mahabaleshwar and run a homestay. They have three children, Rohit, Rhea and Ritvick. Rohit lives in Mumbai, Rhea in Ooty and Ritvick in Udaipur. We shall be meeting them in chronological order in the Bansal Legacy series. This book is the story of the oldest among them, Rohit.

The Blurb:

Rohit Bansal, the handsome and suave managing director of Simha International, is the envy of many—from a director of the hotel to an employee.
A thief comes up with a simple modus operandi, believing that nobody’s really going to find out anything about the thefts taking place. But when a guest brings it to his notice, Rohit is determined to save the reputation of Simha International and ropes in a top-notch detective. Will Rohit be able to find who the thief is before time runs out?
The lovely and intelligent Tasha Sawant goes to work at Simha International as the duty manager. Her experience in the hotel industry only adds to the hotel’s excellent service.
Tasha is attracted to Rohit and it would seem that he reciprocates her feelings. Well, the lady isn’t looking for a permanent relationship as it looks likes she’s already had an unpleasant experience. But then, what about the guy? Does Rohit want any kind of relationship with Tasha?

The story:

Thirty three year old Rohit Bansal is the Managing Director of Simha International, a five star hotel in Mumbai. His single handed struggle and hard work was instrumental in setting up the hotel. Most of the shares of the hotel belong to him and his family members.

Tasha Sawant works in his hotel. She has a brother, who is eight years younger to her, and is a brat. She does not share a comfortable relationship with her mother, but gets along better with her father.she has not seen her family for the past three years.

The story starts with a guest complaining that he has been charged for the mini-bar in the room for the stuff that he has not consumed. And he wants to catch the thief.

Baidyanath Thakkar, one of the directors, has a gambling problem and is bankrupt. To get money, he wants his daughter, Muskaan to marry Rohit, but she knows that Rohit had some horrid experience and avoids women.

Akhil Shetty is a management trainee at the hotel and is jealous of Rohit.

My take:

The story is a love story with twists which crop up when they are least expected. The characters have been created with a lot of patience and are realistic. The scenes have been described in detail and it was very easy to picturise them.

The author has done a lot of research for the book, this comes out in the way she has described the hotel procedures and other nitty-gritties.

The relationship between the characters has been beautifully described be it the relationship between Tasha and Rohit or between Rohit and his hotel staff or Rohit and his family. The way the author has portrayed Rohit and Tasha’s maturity in dealing with a lot of things impressed me.

The names of the dishes as well as their description made my mouth water.

Waiting for Rhea’s story next.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book from the author as a part of the blog tour by The Book Club in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received the book The Ultimate Guide to Smart Shopping by V Rajesh as a review copy from the publisher, Rupa Publications and would like to thank them for the same.

The Blurb:

‘Eat a banana before you go shopping!’ No, that’s not a diet advice, but a tip for SMART Shopping! A host of such SMART shopping ideas is what this book is all about. Contrary to what we would like to believe, shopping is not guided by reason or logic alone, and it may not be a rational activity at times. There are various facets of the subconscious mind that influence a person’s choice or action, especially with regard to shopping. Most often the person is unaware of these hidden influences, and is, therefore, unable to control his or her responses while buying things- whether online or in a shop.

The Ultimate Guide to SMART Shopping not only makes you aware of all this, but also provides clear, actionable steps to help develop better shopping habits. The book covers various issues related to shopping such as: Why should you always check when you see an unbelievable offer; Whether you should take your children along to shop or not; How to get good service; and much more. It will help you shop prudently, and actually save you money! Read the book and start SMART Shopping today.

My take:

This book focuses on the shopper and what the shopper needs to know to make better decisions. He has also dwelled on the ten key themes for better shopper knowledge. He hypothesises that women are better shoppers than men and that men need to learn a few new tricks on shopping.

The author has compared the older and newer generations on their approach to shopping and also men and women. He has also discussed how adding or deleting a line changes the perspective of the shoppers and they queue up for the sales. And many more such issues.

Overall, it is an interesting book which actually made me realise and notice a lot of things especially the logic that the author has given regarding the use of red colour. I actually noticed that most of the major food joints around us are actually using the colours red and yellow.

I enjoyed reading the book and was also introspecting whether what holds true for me and what does not.

DISCLAIMER: I received the book as a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation for the same.

I do not think anyone in India, who has heard of the legend Amitabh Bachchan, does not admire him. I for one, do. Not only for what he has achieved in life but also for the way he came back from bankruptcy.

So when I got the chance to read and review the book: Excellence The Amitabh Bachchan Way by Virender Kapoor published by Rupa Publications, I immediately said yes. And am thankful to the producer for sending me a review copy of the same.

The Blurb:

What can Amitabh Bachchan’s life teach us in our pursuit of excellence? Everything. Amitabh Bachchan is not just a brilliant actor or the ‘Superstar of the Millennium’. He is an institution in himself—not just for acting but everything that makes a person successful in his life. Most of his virtues—like professionalism, determination, a never-say-die attitude—are traits which one can follow to achieve the ‘Excellence’ everyone aspires for.

Four National Film Awards, 15 Filmfare Awards and 41 nominations hold testimony to his excellence. How does he sail through different phases of life—the good, the bad and the ugly, which in his case are the best, the worst and the horrid—unruffled? How did he manage an unpredictable film career along with a failed business venture and then rose like a phoenix, never to look back again? All this requires unwavering determination, willpower, patience and a disposition to take it all in one’s stride. In this book, educationist and inspirational guru Virender Kapoor analyses each and every trait of Bachchan that is immensely inspiring. Excellence: The Amitabh Bachchan Way not only reveals Big B’s professional ‘secrets’, it also teaches one how to make the best of what we have!

My take:

This is one book which talks about Mr Bachchan as a normal human being who follows simple rules to excel in life. The author has analysed his attributes that helped him excel like handling pain and failure; self-discipline; respect for time; appreciating others; panache and grace; integrity and value system; accepting your weakness; philanthropy, empathy and giving back to society; bouncing back after failure and humility and style.

The author has spoken about each trait in details in the chapters giving examples from his life and various incidents involving him. At the end of each chapter, the author mentions as to what the reader can learn from the trait of the legend that he has discussed. He has also decorated the chapters with a lot of quotes.

This is one book which can be read off and on. It has the ability to inspire a person to improve his or her attitude to his daily life thus making him or her a better person.

I for one have decided to work on punctuality, because I feel that should be the easiest to work on.

I hope all the readers of this book also start working on improvising themselves.

A must read for everyone.

DISCLAIMER: I received the book as a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received the book Mamá Graciela’s Secret Written by Mayra Calvani and illustrated by Sheila Fein as a review copy from BookR3vi3ws and am thankful to the author for the same.

The blurb:

Mamá Graciela’s TENDER, CRUNCHY, SPICY bacalaítos fritos are the best in town…

Local customers (including stray cats!) come from all over the island to enjoy her secret recipe. But when the Inspector discovers that Mamá secretly caters to so many cats and he threatens to close her tiny restaurant, Mamá must come up with a plan to save it—and all of the animals she loves.

My take:

This is a beautifully illustrated book for all ages. Meant for 3 to 7 year olds according to the author, I was transported into Mama Graciela’s world as I was reading the book. The author has beautifully portrayed the bond between Mama and the cats. The language is simple and easily understandable.

An excellent read aloud book for kids.

Highly recommended.

DISCLAIMER: I received the book as a review copy from BookR3vi3ws in exchange for an honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation for the same.

“I
heard them mourn my death. I lay in the next room. Motionless, silent, and
staring at the ceiling.”

Adih:

“When
it comes to a broken person, some of them are expert at blinding you. Spend an
entire evening with such a person, but you may still not know how he is
crushing inside.”

Uday:

“Who
would say no to him? He is smart, intelligent, super handsome, rich, suave and
sophisticated. He’s perfect!”

Pooja:

“Pooja
gave no explanation. She asked no forgiveness. She just arrived in his home,
resenting him for being her husband.”

Arunav:

“He
had smiled as if nothing was wrong.

He
had behaved as if he still had his dreams and hopes.

He
had pretended as if it didn’t hurt.

But
it did.”

Does
Destiny hold the key to our happiness?

Is
it always the feeble that is the victim?

Love
can be the embrace of heaven. But what happens when it unleashes hellfire?

Lose
yourself in the intense narrative of You Came Like Hope as it unleashes a
rollercoaster of emotions, uncovers some bitter truths, challenges widespread
prejudices, and forces you to reconsider your beliefs.

The trouble with me is that I forget all caution, when I need it the most.I knew I was not supposed to set foot inside his house. I had already done one blunder. The result of that was wrapping its web around me. Suffocating me. It was foolishness to be stepping into yet another mistake.

But there I was.

‘It doesn’t matter. I’ll leave soon. He’s not here anyway,’ I excused myself, taking a deep breath of the pleasant lemon-scented air of the place.

The room was simply furnished. There was an oval centre table topped with a black glass. Pencil scrapes fluttered on half of it and school books and notebooks covered the other half. An almost empty school bag lay huddled on the grey couch next to it. There were matching single-seaters on the other side of the table. A square dining table stood on one side of the room. It had only two chairs.

Besides this sombre furniture, there were three Disney cushions on the grey couch, artificial sunflowers with smiley faces in a vase, a flower-shaped wall clock, and a cute flower and bee shaped perfume dispenser in a corner. These childish whims and fancies served well to add cheer to otherwise too plain a room.

My eyes brushed past all these things, only to be arrested by a photo hanging on a wall. It showed a girl child holding the hand of a tall man. He was dressed in blue jeans and grey t-shirt. The attire suited his height and strong built well. The child was grinning at the camera. Her companion was looking down and smiling at her. It was a smile that could have forced any woman to become rude and stare with desire. I was glad it was just a picture that I was staring at.

The owner of that smile had moved to Delhi four months ago, renting a house very close to my cousin sister Rajni’s house. This was the first time I had come to stay at my cousin’s home since then. My mother had let me come. But she worried that he was too near, the son of a defamed family.

‘You know what his family history is. Stay away from him, no matter what Rajni tells you,’ she had ordered.

‘Too late,’ I murmured, staring at his picture and wondering what mother would say if she found out. But then, there were far worse things that I had hidden. Things that, I knew, would hurt my parents more. Far more.

About the Author:

Jyoti Arora is a novelist
and blogger from Ghaziabad. You Came Like Hope is her third novel, coming after
Dream’s Sake and Lemon Girl. She is Post Graduate in English Literature and
Applied Psychology.

Jyoti has over five years
of experience working as a freelance writer. This experience includes abridging
over 24 famous English classics like Jane Eyre, Moby Dick etc.

Jyoti Arora is a patient
of Thalassemia Major. But she does not let this stop or discourage her. For her
determination and achievements, Jyoti has received appreciation from Ms Sheila
Dixit, Ms Maneka Gandhi and the Ghaziabad wing of BJP. Her life story has been
covered in various local and national TV shows, radio programs, newspapers,
magazines and websites like YourStory and Inspire India. She was also one of
the ‘100 Women Achievers of India’ that were invited to witness the Republic
Day parade of India (2016) as special guests.

Besides reading and
writing novels, Jyoti also enjoys blogging and has won several blogging
competitions. She loves checking out latest technological innovations, watching
movies, and listening to old Bollywood songs. Reach her at jyotiarora.com.